To promote the human right
to food that is healthy, nutritious,
affordable, and presented with dignity. Our
voices reflect the diversity that is the Downtown
Eastside. Our articles, research, and recipes speak to
the DTES residents, social justice groups, and beyond. We
inform our readers, while fostering the desire to know more
and to become more engaged. As part of the DTES community,
we strive to be a tool for community building.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,
and beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its
purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for
the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign
of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a
lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you
arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and
robs the spirit of its vision.â&#x20AC;?

Z i n e

Spring 2017

N
O
I
CT AL
E
EL ECI
SP

.
B.C

How to Vote..........................page 3

the caNdidates.....................page 4

www.rtfzine.org

Seeds of changE.................page 24

UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME.....page 17

simple, yummy recipes........page 28

(FreE)

~Tecumseh (1768-1813) was a Native American leader of the Shawnee
nation who fought many battles against American forces to protect his
people and their land.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance
of the Province of British Columbia

Godfrey Tang
writer

Hendrik Beune
writer

Shannon Hecker
writer

writer

Publisher & editor
tan haffer
Assistant Editor, IT Consultant, & Online Editor
ichael Du el o
rinted and bound in ancouver at tudio rint roup
Print consultant
ita ander aadt
Layout & design
itsue uno nthony oert and riyan a or ar
llustrations
nthony oert
itsue ierfederici
Consulting editor Natalie Hawrysh ewich
Photograph on page 2 d gillis
Contributing writers
ichael Du el o hannon Hec er tan haffer d
gillis nthony oert
odfrey ang eilani eu
ahil upta su si odor and auren rown
nterested in contributing ideas articles poe s illustrations and or photos to the ight to ood ine s a co unity
partner we are deeply interested to hear fro you and what you feel is i portant ine eetings are on ednesdays fro
to p free nutritious lunch included) at the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House
East Hastings street)
r get in touch with us at ine rtf ine org he ight to ood ine relies on generous donations fro the co unity to
produce each issue so if you li e what we re doing and you re able please visit visit rtf ine org to donate or get involed
he views and opinions e pressed in this publication are those of the original authors and contributors
and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House)

Strathcona Community Small Grant

Leilani Reum

letter from the editor

“Now is the winter of our discontent” made pink as cherry tree blossoms return.
This 16th edition of the RTF Zine is our largest ever. The first section focuses on the BC
election on May 9 and begins with a blistering political editorial by dm gillis and an overview of
the party platforms by Andy Goertz. Also included are abbreviated responses to questions about
poverty and hunger from the candidates in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant: Conny Lin (Liberal),
Jerry Kroll (Green) and Melanie Mark (NDP). Hendrik Beune convinces us to vote outside the
box and new writer Leilani Reum describes the seven pillars of food security.
We also feature articles by DTES food security leaders Lauren Brown, the Food Coordinator
at the Strathcona Community Centre, Zsuzsi Fodor of the Food Bank, and Michael duBelko’s
stats-packed interview with Trish Garner, Community Organizer for the BC Poverty Reduction
Coalition.
Since ‘tis the season to think about planting, Shannon Hecker spotlights the power of personal
and group gardening, Godfrey Tang notes disturbing losses in Chinatown shopping, and my
article introduces the concept of Universal Basic Income. Finally, we present a couple of local
recipes, one from the DTES NH kitchen and the other from Strathcona Community Centre.
FILM NOTES: I highly recommend viewing a DVD called Eating Alabama, directed by
Andrew Beck Grace, available at some VPL branches, about community, sustainability, and
eating locally. Another outstanding four-part documentary series is on Netflix by the food writer
Michael Pollan, based on his book, Cooked.
Dedication: This issue of the RTF Zine is dedicated to Paul Taylor, who was the ED at the
Neighbourhood House when we started the publication together four years ago. Paul continued
supporting the Zine after moving to the Gordon Neighbourhood House and has recently left
that position for important food security work in Toronto. I call Paul the Zine’s godfather,
and refer to Carol White, the current ED at the NH, as the Zine’s godmother. Carol jokingly
disputes the gender casting.

Stan Shaffer
RT F Z i n e Ed i to r

Right To Food Zine

| PAGE 1

The I Will Vote Manifesto
by dm gillis

I will cast my rage at the ballot box. Not because one political party
vote fiercely in this election, not timidly nor look away. I will

is morally superior or the other claims an absolute fiscal acumen, but
because at this time only change will do.

I will government's unacceptable dependence upon food banks and
vote for change because of the current provincial

other forms of private charity to address the impact of its legislated
poverty. I will vote because people living in poverty have been abandoned
without hope, many of them children and seniors, many of them people with
disabilities and the working poor, all left behind facing food insecurity and
the potential of homelessness due to displacement and a lack of adequate
and affordable housing in one of Canada's leading economies.

By voting,restroom smell of privilege and entitlement that

I hope to participate in removing the Parliamentary

hangs over British Columbia, the repugnant scent of smirking opportunists
drawing weighty salaries, stipends and Wild West pay-for- play. Politicos
whose abuse of power extends to denying justice to those who cannot
afford it, cutting access to education and health care, cutting funding to
programs for women facing domestic abuse, building a billion dollar white
elephant hydro dam and destroying one of the planet's most unique river
valley ecosystems, chasing the fruitless illusion of LNG as kids-in- care
die, live with abuse and consider suicide, and colluding with the federal
government in building pipelines in hopes of supplying oil to markets
turning to solar and wind.

I will though even the party of opposition plans, in victory, to carry
vote and demand social justice, though it may never come,

on the grim BC tradition of iniquitous governance.

I will Because even though it sometimes seems pointless in such a

vote because diligence and participation are my only coinage.

cynical setting, I can say that, though mostly unceded, this Province is my
place and I have my vote to prove it.

2 | RTFZine

B.C. Election Special

How to vote
by

O

Anthony Goertz

kay, so there’s an election on May
9th. And you already know you
should vote, but what does that
entail? Ideally, that you make the
most informed decision possible.
But who’s got the time to comb through
each candidate s website try to nd what
they might actually do, what they believe,
and compare it with the other candidates?
Even using the BC Elections website
can be dif cult not to ention caring
to learn what on earth a “plebiscite” is,
even though a plebiscite is by de nition
a matter of public importance. Not to be
too paternalistic here, or to claim to be
the last authority on the candidates, but
here's what we’ve discerned about them.
Hopefully this can help you make an
informed decision on who to vote for in this
election.
Anyone who’s over 18, is a Canadian citizen,
and has lived in BC for the past 6 months
can vote on ay th but rst you have to
register. You can do it on the day or ahead
of time, but there’s a few things you should
know. You can register to vote online at
http://elections.bc.ca/register-to-vote/ or
by calling 1-800-661-8683 between the
hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays or
between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
You’ll need to provide some proof of

identi cation ou can also register ahead of
time by e-mailing (electionsbc@elections.
bc.ca) or faxing (1-866-466-0665) this
completed form to Elections B.C.: http://
elections.bc.ca/docs/reg/200A.pdf. You
can also register in person at any Services
BC location. Again, you’ll need to bring
proof of ID: a driver’s license, a BC ID
or services card, SIN card, passport, your
personal health nu ber a erti cate of
ndian tatus hild a ene t tate ent
rear s license utility bill ban state ent
report card, student card, or two pieces of
ID that show your address. Elections BC just
wants to see that you really are a resident of
f you don t have a ed address you can
use a friend’s address, or even the address
of wherever you sleep most of the time (this
includes public parks and shelters). If you
can’t provide any of this information, there is
still a way to register! You just need someone
to vouch for you. This can be a relative,
spouse, friend, or even service provider,
provided that they have acceptable ID and
can solemnly declare that you are who you
say you are. Once you’re registered, voting
is a snap!
You can vote ahead of time, on the
weekend 2 weeks before voting day, which
is May 9th. That means that advanced
voting will take place on the weekend of
Spring 2017 | 3

(continued from previous page)
April 22-23 or April 29-30. This can
be done at any electoral of ce ee
elections.bc.ca for more info - you can
order a “vote by mail” package from that
website.
On voting day, you can vote at your
voting station, which will be listed on
the “Where To Vote” card mailed to
the address you provided when you
registered. If you didn’t get one, call
B.C. Elections toll-free number, 1-800611-8683, or visit elections.bc.ca for
all that information. It can be a lot of
information to try and sift through, but
hopefully reading this helps.

We asked the 3 candidates the following questions:
1. Poverty reduction. Is this important for you? Do you have strategies on
how to address this issue?
2. Food security. Do you see it as a problem? If not, why not? If so, how might
you address it in the legislature?
3. Housing and homelessness. Connected to poverty reduction. Do you think
homelessness is an important issue to change legislation for? If so, how so? If
not, explain. Any ideas for how to help?
4

(Conny Lin and Melanie Mark's responses have been edited to fit the space.)

n Party

B.C. Gree

I joined the Green Party for
this coming May 9th election
because I have seen the
same party representation in
Vancouver Mount Pleasant
for over 30 years, and STILL
our community in the DTES
ranks as the most desperate in
Canada! If we keep voting for
the same people, and expect
a different outcome, WE are
the problem! It is time for a
change!
[Provincial] Green Party
Leader Andrew Weaver
is the most impressive
person I have ever met,
and he has a gift for quickly
identifying the solutions
and providing a common
sense way to implement
them. Poverty Reduction,
Food Security AND Housing
and Homelessness are all
solved with a Guaranteed
Basic Income program as laid

out on his website: http://
www.andrewweavermla.
ca/2016/12/20/
basic-income-part-ivrecommendations/
EVERYONE gets the
minimum they need to take
care of themselves in a proper
and digni ed way and then
goes on to help others! I
love the elegance of this
solution, and the powerful
force it represents both today
and in the years to come as
automation reduces the human
work requirement more and
more!

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

l
l
o
r
K
y
r
Jer

I can think of nothing more
pleasing than seeing the needy
in the DTES quickly becoming
the bene ciaries of a a ority
Green Party Guaranteed
Minimum Income of $14,000
per year or more. The May
9th election cannot come soon
enough.

Spring 2017 | 5

n
i
L
y
n
n
o
C
ls
B.C. Liber

Poverty reduction

From my work in mental health and
addictions, I know that we can’t even
begin to have a conversation about getting
better without ensuring people’s basic
needs are met – food, housing, healthcare,
and community, to name a few. The same
applies to tackling poverty. There was
a point in my life when all I could think
about was making sure my bills were
paid on time; it was about getting by, not
about getting ahead. That’s why I was so
excited when I saw BC’s Single Parent’s
Employment Initiative. This is a program
that came out of listening to single parents
and directly addresses the barriers that
prevent them from doing better for
themselves and their kids.
ith that said any dif cult life
circumstances, other than being a single
parent, can create bariers for people and its
important that BC continues to listen and
that policymakers dig even deeper into the
underlying reasons why many remain in
poverty, and provide the right supports for
those who are struggling.
By growing up with a brother who is
deaf, I’ve seen directly how physical
disability can limit opportunities when
accommodations don’t exist or aren’t
6 | RTFZine

a

suf cient hrough y bac ground in
addictions research, I understand that
mental health issues are just as debilitating
as physical ones. I would advocate for more
individualized supports for people with
disabilities looking for work, and more
incentive for business to hire those with
challenging circumstances.
For me, poverty reduction comes down to
not only delivering more services, but also
delivering those services effectively. I want
to ensure that we are providing hands up
to those that need them, in the ways people
need them.

Food Security

If elected, I am committed to working to
reducing the food security challenges of
those in the DTES, by advocating for the
following policies and policy changes:
1) Increased coordination between
government and private food programs
to improve coverage, procurement
(to increase the proportion of free
and reduced-cost food, including at
grocery stores, that is healthy, tasty, and
nutritious), and accessibility, particularly
through decentralized distribution to
reduce crowding as well as staf ng that
meets the cultural needs of communities.
2) Expansion of the BC government’s
Grow Local Program, which is providing
training to urban residents through
community centres and schools and
empowering them to grow their own
vegetables and fruits so that they may have

more choices and add fresh food to their
diets.
3) Improved offerings in provinciallyfunded supportive housing for
community-led food planning and
preparation, which can be as simple as
providing access to a kitchen, and ideally
should improve training around food
planning, nutrition, and cooking skills.

housing/homelessness
In Vancouver, a major component of
housing affordability is limited supply.
This is an area where the provincial
government must work with the City to
add supply. To improve the situation
for renters, municipalities need to
do their part. Partnerships between
provincial, federal, and municipal
governments are also essential to
preventing homelessness. Last year,
61,000 individuals and families in
Metro Vancouver were helped by
provincially-funded programs aimed at
affordable housing, rental supplements,
and emergency housing. About 30,000

households are helped every year across
BC by supplement programs like the
Rental Assistance Program, which
provides cash to eligible renters. These
are vital investments. When paired
with productive inter-government
collaboration, they can pay off and
succeed in creating suf cient housing
supply and ensuring that it is in reach for
renters and buyers both.
a running for of ce because reali ed
that some of the changes I wanted to see
in y eld ental health and addictions
were only possible if they came from
decisionmakers. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just as true for
housing, food security, and poverty
reduction. My research training gives
me a unique instinct when encountering
any issue rst observe by listening)
secondly, I bounce ideas off people
who are stakeholders, and then I
formulate new solutions. I believe that
my experience and approach to solving
complex problems will lead to solutions
that work for people. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I can be
a changemaker and an effective voice for
people in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

My colleagues in the New Democrat
f cial pposition introduced a poverty
reduction plan 6 times in the legislature
and it was voted down every time. Christy
Clark doesn’t seem to understand that
a comprehensive plan is necessary to
address the needs of British Columbians
living in poverty.
I have met people here in VancouverMount Pleasant who have to work 2 or
more jobs to make ends meet, especially
with skyrocketing rents in Vancouver.
Wages are low, ICBC and MSP premiums
are up, Hydro bills are on the rise…a
poverty reduction strategy would look at
all of these factors, including the way we
support British Columbians on Income
and Disability Assistance.

BC Local Food Act that would encourage
agriculture and protect food security.
This bill aimed to increase the amount
of food grown on BC’s agricultural land;
promoted sustainable farming practices;
supported Indigenous food sources and
practices; and supported an economy that
processes, buys and distributes local food
over imports. Sadly Christy Clark and the
BC Liberals didn’t support the bill.
Housing is a really important piece of
Food Security that sometimes doesn’t
get connected but is pretty common
sense - having a place to cook and store
food makes all the difference to the type of
meals we can prepare. We need to make
sure that the housing we build is set up for
making meals at home.

A poverty reduction plan will address the
root causes of poverty in BC. We know
that Poverty costs us $8 billion dollars
a year, and that prevention is the key to
reducing poverty related health issues.
Access to affordable housing and health
care will have a big impact on people’s
lives peci c policies that the ND has
already presented that t within a overty
Reduction Strategy are things like raising
the minimum wage to $15/hour, $10/
day childcare, eliminating MSP premiums,
and building more affordable housing like
co-ops and social housing.

housing/homelessness

Food Security

We also need more protection for renters!
I hear from people every day who would
rather put up with poor air quality,
infestations and hostile landlords than
complain, out of fear that they will lose
their ho e he costs to le a dispute
with a landlord at the Residential Tenancy
Branch have gone from $50 to $100,
the BC Liberals have made it harder for
people to self-advocate.

Food bank usage is at an all-time high in
BC. I did the welfare food challenge for
the last 2 years. I know that $18 a week
for food, doesn’t get you very far in this
province. People are forced to make really
tough choices.
In the Legislature my colleague Lana
Popham brought forward a bill called the
8 | RTFZine

Housing costs dominate the budgets of
British Columbians. BC is in a housing
crisis and there are 4000 people that are
currently homeless in Metro Vancouver.
There are 70 tent cities around BC.
Since Christy Clark became Premier the
homelessness rate has risen 26% per year
- that is a shocking statistic. My concern
is that the numbers indicate it’s only
getting worse. The most important piece
is a poverty reduction plan, which takes
housing into account as a huge factor for
people’s health, safety, and wellbeing.

ne of the rst bills presented in the
Legislature was the Protections from
Renovictions Act - I proposed some
changes to the Residential Tenancy Act
that would make it harder for landlords
to evict people, and rent the unit again
at much higher prices. Sadly this bill was
voted down…are you starting to see a
pattern here?

It has been incredibly frustrating for me
to sit in Opposition this year and watch
Christy Clark and her government vote
down Legislation that would make
things better for people in VancouverMount Pleasant. If the NDP can win
just a few more seats, we can form a
government committed to undoing 16
years of neglect by Christy Clark.

Reducing Poverty and
Improving Food Security in B.C.
by

Leilani Reum

Please see the article “Why A Poverty
Reduction Plan Is Critical To Eliminating
Food Insecurity In BC” also in this issue
of the Zine which features comments by
Trish Garner, one of the authors of the BC
Poverty Reduction Plan.
he provincial election is just
around the corner and many
people have questions for
our candidates around a very
important issue directly related to food
security in British Columbia: poverty
reduction. BC is the only province
without a formal poverty reduction plan
and change is long overdue. Despite
calls from hundreds of organizations
and groups from various backgrounds
including health, faith, community,
Indigenous, and unions, the province has
not taken action.

co-published by Canadian Centre for
olicy lternatives
f ce the
United Way of the Lower Mainland, and
the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition,
discusses the issue of poverty in BC.
The report examines the most recent
statistics on poverty and other related
issues in BC, and recommends policies to
reduce poverty. As stated in the report,
despite being one of Canada’s wealthiest
provinces with a surplus of $2 billion,
BC continues to have the second highest
rate of poverty in Canada. Between
432,000 and 603,000 people lived
under the poverty line in 2014. This is
not only a social and moral issue but an
economic one that challenges all British
Columbians including those not living
in poverty. For example, it costs our
healthcare system $1.2 billion to manage
poverty related health issues.

The report, “Long Overdue: Why
BC needs a poverty reduction plan,”

As we near our provincial election on
May 9, we must continue to demand

T

Spring 2017 | 9

Low wages: A person working full time
at minimum wage is still living below
the poverty line and therefore unable to
access healthy food. In Vancouver, 1 in
6 households are recently or currently
employed but still accessing food banks,
while nearly half a million people in BC
are making $15/ hr or less.

Education: In 2010 approximately
70% of jobs required some form of
post-secondary education. Therefore,
people cannot access appropriate and
stable jobs without an education. Tuition
fees have risen nearly 400% between
1990 and 2010. Many of those able

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Marginalized Communities:
Communities including Indigenous
people, people with disabilities, recent
immigrants, refugees, temporary
foreign workers, single mothers,
LGBTQ people have higher rates of
poverty and ho elessness ne in ve
recent immigrant households face food
insecurity. Food insecurity is highest in
aboriginal households at 29%, with 1 in 3
indigenous children living in poverty.
Health: Often when people are living
in poverty they are forced to choose
unhealthy options because healthy food
10 | RTFZine

is more expensive. The average cost
for healthy food for a family of four is
$945. Unsurprisingly, 1 in 6 (135,000)
children in BC experience food
insecurity. The devastating effect is that
early years of growth and development
are impeded.

1 in 6 (135,000)
children in BC
experience food
insecurity. The
devastating effect
is that early years
of growth and
development are
impeded.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

for a poverty reduction plan from our
candidates. This is exactly what the
Vancouver Neighbourhood Food
Networks and the BC Poverty Reduction
Coalition is calling for and addressed over
the course of Poverty Free BC Action
Week (Feb. 25, 2017- Mar. 3, 2017).
The two organizations presented a
campaign called Lettuce Turnip the Heat
on Poverty Reduction- Vote! leading up
to the Poverty Free BC Rally on March
4, 2017. Each day they presented an
example of how food security is impacted
under each of the pillars. The seven
pillars of policy concern related to food
security are low wages, marginalized
communities, health, education,
childcare, welfare rates, and housing.
Some of the food related statistics under
each pillar are alarming and are outlined
below:

to access education are still unable to
buy themselves food. Food bank usage
increased 100% in both 2014 and 2015
at UBC. Many students have to work two
or three jobs yet still must utilize food
banks.
Childcare: Alarmingly, the child poverty
rate is 1 in 5 in BC with aboriginal
children being twice as likely to live in
poverty than non-aboriginal children.
High childcare costs mean people must
choose between childcare and food with
the average monthly cost being $1370.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

A family of four on income
assistance must spend
79% of their income in
order to buy healthy food.

Single parent homes have the highest rate
of food insecurity at 32%.
Welfare: The current rate for welfare is
far too low at $610 for a single person
and between $931 and $983 per month
for a person with a disability. The rates
have not changed since 2007. Monthly
cost of healthy food in BC for men aged
31-70 is $273, leaving very little for
housing and other needs. A family of four
on income assistance must spend 79% of
their income in order to buy healthy food.
Housing: People who self-identify as
homeless make up less than 2% of all
food bank users in BC. In Coquitlam,
Richmond, Burnaby and Vancouver, 1 in
4 people spend more than 50% of their
income on rent with the average cost
of a one bedroom home in Vancouver
being $1870. BC has the worst record of
housing affordability in Canada.
These statistics are an indication that we
need to call on our candidates for action.
The seven calls to action by the BC
Poverty Reduction Coalition are:
1. Provide adequate and accessible
income support for the unemployed
2. Improve the earnings and working
conditions of those in the low-wage
workforce
3. Address the needs of those most

likely to be living in poverty

4. End homelessness and adopt a
comprehensive affordable housing and
supportive housing plan
5. Provide universal publicly-funded
child care
6. Enhanced support for training and
education for low-income people
7. Enhance community mental health
and home support services, and
expand integrated approaches to
prevention and health promotion
services
*A more detailed look at these calls can
be found at http://bcpovertyreduction.
ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/
Policy-Actions-2017-1.pdf
As we can see, there is a dire need for a
comprehensive and detailed strategy to
reduce poverty and therefore, improve
food security in this province. As we near
the election, it is our job to demand our
candidates address these calls through
policy change. My call to you is to attend
candidate meetings, ask candidates about
their willingness to address these calls,
and demand policy change to improve the
state of poverty in BC. Food security is in
the hands of a poverty reduction strategy.
Most importantly, please get out and
vote!
Spring 2017 | 11

PROVINCIAL Outside
ELECTIONS AND THEthe
CHOICE
Think
TO LIVE IN OR OUTSIDE A BOX
Ballot Box
Voting inside of the (ballot) box but thinking
outside of the box... for a good life!

C

onscientious voters will do
their homework and vote for
the party with the most
credible platform that can
make the change they want to
see. The candidate who runs for that
party should be carefully chosen, not just
for his/her ability to tow the party-line,
but also for personal characteristics:
ability to listen to different points of view
and to represent the interests of all
constituents fairly. Communication
skills, fairness, honesty and integrity are
what your chosen representative should
embody and demonstrate. There is only
one evaluation, which is at the next
Provincial election in four years, so make
your best choice now. For any policy
changes or changes in law at the
Provincial level, the new MLA in your
riding is your go-to person, representing
you, who lives in that riding. So even if
your candidate did not win, this is your
representative to the Legislature. You
never lose casting your vote; voting is
one thing you must do.
Politicians have become aware that the
public likes to have a say in what affects
them, so your MLA should listen to you.
They haven’t been doing a very good job
of that recently. Over the past few
decades there has been a mayor shift in
wealth distribution, which is eliminating
the majority middle class. A lot of very
capable people currently work several
minimum wage jobs, just to pay daily
expenses. The public has been asking for
an increase of the minimum wage to

12 | RTFZine

by Hendrik Beune

$15/hour and they would like to see
more employers paying a ‘living wage,’
which will lift workers over the poverty
line. Currently a family of two adults and
two children needs both parents working
full time, earning $23/hour. to make ‘a
living wage.’ The welfare rate is so
abysmally low, it will need to be raised
substantially to allow recipients to live a
reasonably healthy lifestyle: $15,000/
year is suggested for regular welfare and
$18,000 plus for people with
disabilities. The province is responsible
for setting minimum wage levels and
welfare rates, but it hasn’t been keeping
track of the cost of living, hence so much
poverty, which has a cost. The cost of
poverty is actually greater than what it
would cost to eliminate poverty (Poverty
Reduction Coalition).
What is wrong with ‘the system’?
Our current economic system depends
on exploitation of resources (nature’s
products and people’s labour). Most
corporations have but one bottom line: to
make a profit. They care little about
environmental and social justice, often
leaving a trail of destroyed
environments, hazardous conditions and
changed cultures in their wake. That’s
the wrong attitude.
This way of profit making resembles
colonialism and imperialism (with
corporations being King). “The
Emperor wears no clothes” has become a
sad final reality for multinational
corporations, who have but vanity and

glamour to show in their advertisements,
presenting consumers with the final
product, but hiding the true cost of
production. It is obvious to see the bare
bones of reality for many of us, but not
for those who are blindsided by greed!
The financial wealth of corporations,
executives’ salaries and how profits are
gained by privilege, is comparable to a
ruling King. Companies have been
getting away with shady and dubious
practices for much too long. We need
major reform of our industrialized
system and to account for the true total
cost of products. The 'Commons' are
captured and common people seduced by
privatization, while valuable assets like
environmental and social capital are
destroyed wantonly on a global scale by
industries benefiting multi-national
investors and corporate executives. This
take-over results in lost local economic
potential from cultural and
environmental degradation, which
translates into decreased food security,
reliability of income, health and well
being for many.
What about food production systems?
The trend is to go back to traditional
farming techniques or modern organic
production and foraging is also gaining
popularity. This is a good trend: there
are big problems with “’intensive’, ‘high
density’ and ‘Industrial’ Systems.”
Industrial production is paradoxically
highly efficient (delivers cheap products)
but wasteful and expensive (considering
environmental damage and remediation
costs). Damage results from spillover of
toxins, fertilizers and GMOs
Livestock raised in high-density
operations paradoxically lack nurturing
social interactions because they are

caged or fenced in. Some animals (laying
hens in battery cages) are so confined
they cannot scratch or stand at all. Most
other animals stand on a grid lacking any
bedding, so that feces and urine can pass
through freely, but they cannot lie down.
They are fed calculated amounts of
processed food from a moving belt
system and can drink water from nearby
automated spouts. They have no room to
move. The animals are routinely
medicated because disease spreads
quickly in overcrowded conditions.
Machines milk cows that never see the
outdoors. Bulls mate with artificial cows.
Breeding stock is artificially
inseminated. Mothers have no time to
wean their young. Any kind of
compassion is totally lacking for these
sentient animals. Cattle are routinely
transported with standing room only (if
they lay down they get trampled) and are
held without water or food for two or
three days before being slaughtered.
Many of these inhumane industrial
production methods were outlawed years
ago elsewhere, but are still common
practice in Canada and the USA.
At this point you and other concerned
citizens should call your MLA and ask
them to bring your animal welfare
concerns to the Legislative Assembly,
where these problems can be addressed
and a bill formulated that could change
history: It is unbelievable that this level
of inhumanity and animal cruelty is
allowed in BC.
Ask your politicians about The Peace
River Valley, which has very good
conditions for local food-production; we
need that arable land now. Why flood
that valley to produce electricity?
Financial forecasts for that show no
profit, only big losses that would
bankrupt BC Hydro.
Spring 2017 | 13

Trish Garner, Community Organizer for the BC Poverty
Reduction Coalition and co-author of the BC Poverty
Reduction Plan

I

by Michael DuBelko

interviewed Trish on Feb. 15, 2017.
The following is a discussion of
poverty in BC and the need for a
Poverty Reduction Plan for BC along
with Trish’s comments.

all the political parties and politicians in
BC to immediately adopt and put in place
the Seven Poverty Reduction steps or
‘Pillars’ as outlined in the
recommendations of the plan.

How the BC Poverty Reduction Plan
came to be:

So what is Food In security?
According to a Statistics Canada
publication authored by Shirin
Roshanafshar and Emma Hawkins (ISSN
1925-6493, March 25, 2015):

The plan for reducing poverty in BC
grew out of a 5 year study and analysis
conducted by the Canadian Centre for
Policy Alternatives (CCPA). At the
conclusion of the study in 2009, the task
group involved felt that, rather than
publish yet another dry academic style
report and because the evidence and
issues that they had uncovered around
poverty in BC were of such critical
importance, they would instead
construct a comprehensive Poverty
Reduction Plan for BC and call on the
government to implement the plan along
with legislated targets and timelines.
The CCPA then went further to found
the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
and ask for support from allied groups
and organizations around BC. This
Coalition, which originally obtained
signatures from 200 groups and
organizations, has grown to over 400
groups and organizations from all over
BC. The goal of the Coalition and its
supporting groups is to push forward,
influence and obtain commitments from
14 | RTFZine

Food insecurity exists within a
household when one or more members do
not have access to the variety or quantity
of food that they need due to lack of
money.

Researchers have found that people
who experience Food Insecurity also
tend to report:
Poor or fair health
Poor functional health, or an
inability to perform key activities
due to health problems
Long-term physical and/or mental
disabilities that limit activity at
home, work or school
Multiple chronic conditions
Major depression
A perceived lack of social support,
such as someone to confide in,
count on, or go to for advice

Going further on the issue of income
insecurity, there has been a fair amount
of buzz lately about reviving the idea of
the government providing a guaranteed
annual income to all citizens. Many
progressive social scientists and political
observers have suggested that this may
be the best universal cure to replace the
current welfare system.

Reduction Coalition. We recognize that
there are benefits to it. Here in Canada
we actually did an experiment in
Manitoba in the 70s and the outcomes
were good with regards to health and
education. It would definitely get rid of
the poverty stigma and accessibility
issues, which surround our current
welfare system, which can be significant
for many people. Many provincial offices
have closed. Telephone contact to offices
with increased on-hold times for callers
discourages many people as well as that
fact that many of the necessary forms are
only available online requiring access to
a computer. One big concern is what
would be the level set by the government
and would that be adequate. Currently
our government sets the welfare rates at a
very inadequate level, $610 per month,
which is not enough to secure a living
space in Vancouver, for example, so
would they set an adequate level? And
the other concern is that we would still
need the other pieces of a poverty
reduction plan - an increase in minimum
wage so that a guaranteed annual income
does not become a subsidy for low wage
employment plus we would still need
investment in affordable housing,
childcare, healthcare and education. A
guaranteed annual income strategy
should not take away from those
investments that we need to make. Our
concern is that the government could
bring in a guaranteed annual income and
leave the rest to be picked up by the
private market so that the government
could say, ‘Well we’ve given you this
money, now it’s up to you to go choose
service providers and pay for your
education and everything else you need.”

Trish continues, “We are having
discussions about it (guaranteed annual
income) here at the BC Poverty

So it seems simply implementing a
guaranteed annual income is not enough
and relying on the existing welfare

The view of the Coalition, which is
supported by evidence in the above
report and by many other studies, is that:
Food Insecurity is a direct result of
Income Insecurity.
Trish says, “We see food insecurity as an
issue of income insecurity at its heart, so
as part of the poverty reduction plan that
we’re calling for there are a number of
pieces that are all about raising incomes.
Raising welfare and disability is one
critical pillar of the plan and then raising
minimum wage as well as encouraging a
living wage be paid by employers with
the view of recognizing that when you
put more money in people’s pockets then
they have more money to make choices
for their family around healthy food,
culturally appropriate food and access to
food with dignity.”
Coupled with this awareness is the need
for BC to address a number of other
issues intimately tied to Food Insecurity.
Trish goes on to say, And then there are
the other pillars of the plan that are
about addressing the cost of living,
providing more affordable housing and
childcare, in particular, which we know
are the key costs for families. Reducing
those costs would give people more
money to buy the food that’s appropriate
for their families.”

Spring 2017 | 15

service structure is very unreliable for
many people who don’t have computer
access, are stuck waiting on hold on the
telephone or waiting for a call back to get
answers about their applications.
Trish points out,
As a matter of fact, the government
actually is proud of the statistic that 50% of
people that try to get on welfare don’t succeed
and from their perspective they believe that
means they are being diverted back into a
job, but from our perspective, that proves
that our social safety net is mostly inaccessible and doesn’t work.

How is THE BC Poverty Reduction
Coalition working to make your
vote count toward seeing a BC
Poverty Reduction Plan
implemented in BC after the
upcoming Provincial Election?
Trish says, “In our election work, we’ve
asked all the parties where they stand in
relation to a commitment to a
comprehensive poverty reduction plan
for BC with legislated targets and
timelines addressing each of the seven
pillars we have identified (see article by
Leilani elsewhere in this Zine) We will
be putting out a grid that tells voters who
is making that commitment and how
strong they are about that commitment
on each of the issues, so we’ll be putting
that out along with our analysis of the
results. Our website is also full of
information for voters to get up to date
on what’s happening with poverty in BC.
We’ll be doing some get-out-the-vote
work to encourage people, especially
poor people, to come out in strength to
vote for their best interests on these
issues. Our overall election campaign is
called ‘Make Poverty Public’ and we’ll be
featuring a lot of storytelling to make
16 | RTFZine

everyone aware that poverty is affecting
real people, our fellow humans.
For many, slipping into poverty
starts by just missing one or two
paychecks and that’s enough to push
people over the precipice and then it’s
very hard to get back up.
We want to get the message across that
collectively we all pay taxes to take care
of each other through public healthcare
and public education, and we think that
we need to do that for poverty as well so
public poverty reduction is what we are
calling for. We know that at a local level
that people are very generous in giving
to charity but we just don’t have the
capacity as individual charity donners to
make a dent in these issues. This is a
huge crisis in BC and since government
is the highest form of community it’s at
that level that we can do the most good in
tackling these issues.
Please see the article “Reducing Poverty
And Improving Food Security” also in
this issue of the Zine which outlines and
details the Seven Pillars of the BC
Poverty Reduction Plan contained in the
Poverty Reduction Plan for BC that the
governments, local and provincial, need
to take immediate action on.
Links to more information about the BC
Poverty Reduction Coalition and the
Poverty Reduction Plan for BC:
http://bcpovertyreduction.ca/
http://bcpovertyreduction.ca/campaign
s/povertymythbusters/

Universal BASIC INCOME
An Introduction by Stan Shaffer

T

his year, Ontario is planning to
introduce a basic income
experiment to top up families
living below the poverty line.
Proponents argue it would be more
efficient and less costly than
administering current social programs
as well as reducing health care and
policing costs. Dr. Danielle Martin,
vice-president on Women’s College
Hospital in Toronto, says the program
will support people “who need income
security, but will not discourage them
from entering the workforce” (CP, March
14, 2016). When speaking in Vancouver
in February,
Dr. Martin noted,

It’s impossible to talk about health care
in Canada and not address the impact
of poverty. It’s the number one thing…It’s
more important than anything else we
do in the medical system
(Jenny Uechin, National Observer,
February 27, 2017).
Dr. Martin supports the creation of a
basic minimum income, noting that the
experiment in Manitoba in the 1970s
decreased hospitalizations by 8.5
percent.
The history of this social policy idea
reaches back to 16th century England
and Belgium with the writings of
humanists Sir Thomas More (Utopia,
1516) and the Spaniard Juan Lusi Vives.
It continued through the next centuries
in Europe as the beginning of

social insurance (Bismarck in Germany)
and in America by Thomas Paine, a
political revolutionary. Next were the
British utopian socialists in 19th and
early 20th centuries-John Stuart Mill
and Bertrand Russell-and gaining more
interest in mid-late 20th century.
Recently in Canada, Senators Hugh
Segel and Art Eggleton, journalist
Gwynne Dyer, the CEO of Hootsuite,
Ryan Holmes, and Andrew Weaver,
leader of the BC Green Party, have
promoted the concept
In the early 1970s Canada was among
the first countries which experimented
with a guaranteed minimum income in
Dauphin, Manitoba. The so-called
Minicome project found that it did not
discourage people from seeking work,
except for single mothers and students.
In the current Ontario plan, poor people
will continue to get medical benefits in
addition to the minimum income, and
since there is no claw back for earning
extra income, they can burst through the
“welfare wall.”
Since approximately nine percent of
Canadians live in poverty—with higher
Spring 2017 | 17

numbers for single mothers and
indigenous communities—this plan is
worth testing throughout the country,
and even more so in British Columbia,
which has the highest child poverty rate
in the country: one in five children.
Another reason to test the guaranteed
minimum income idea now is to look into
the future. Imagine a scenario in 2040
when Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
robots assume 40 percent of the jobs
done by humans in 2017 - jobs such as
mail carriers and garbage/recycling;
drivers of taxis, busses, trucks; a
majority of manufacturing in all sectors;
construction; secretarial and phone
services; scientific field work; cleaning
and security services; fast food
operations; perhaps to an extent fire and
police; and so on in ways that seem
fantastical now because this amount of
redundancy refutes past experience.
Mark Cuban, a technology entrepreneur
and philanthropist, told Bill O’Reilly on
Fox News that it would not be possible to
retrain workers for the new economy
since machines will perform a high
percentage of non-specialized work.
Similarly, Elon Musk, a business
magnate and investor (batteries and
rockets), believes that Universal Basic
Income (UBI) is an inevitable
transformation of society, forecasting:
“People will have time to do other
things, more complex things, more
interesting things… Certainly more
leisure time. And then we need to figure
how we integrate with a world and future
with a vast AI.
“Finally, in his farewell address in
January, President Barack Obama
warned, “ the next wave of economic
dislocations won’t come from overseas. It
18 | RTFZine

will come from the relentless pace of
automation that makes a lot of good
middle-class jobs obsolete.” (New York
Times, February 22, 2017)
A speculation I’ve read is that any job in
2010 earning less than $20.00 an hour
will be replaced by AI or robots. In other
words, by 2040 many people will be
without jobs and income—a magnitude of
unemployment and poverty not seen
since the Great Depression. How can
advanced societies survive if/when these
conditions materialize?
One answer is by instituting Universal
Basic Income, defined as “an income
unconditionally granted to all on an
individual basis, without means test or
work requirement” (Basic Income Earth
Network, (BIEN). It is alternately
referred to as a guaranteed annual
income, citizen's income, citizen's
dividend, social dividend, negative
income tax, and other terms.
UBI is a socio-economic policy that can
transform capitalistic societies into a
form of socialism, but the downside is
that it is very expensive to operate, even
considering savings from dismantling
gigantic bureaucracies. Another
drawback for many is that UBI may
create a disincentive to work, although
recipients could earn extra income with
no claw back. This outcome, however,
did not happen in the Dauphin,
Manitoba experiment in the 1970s.
Although there is no definitive way to
pay the huge tab for this system, Jamie
Cooke (head of Royal Scottish Academy)
states, “Drawing on the experience of
similar projects ongoing in Finland,
Utrecht in the Netherland and Ontario in
Canada, it could be funding from
particular trusts, it could be individual

philanthropic funding, as we have seen
in the States, or it could be a redirection
of the existing welfare spend” (Libby
Brooks, The Guardian, January 1, 2017)
experiment in the 1970s.
Andy Stern, a senior fellow at Columbia
University and author the book Raising
the Floor, argues, “You can’t build this
on top of the existing welfare system
alone. You have to begin to deconstruct
some of the welfare programs that are
cash transfers. There’s 122 cash transfer
programs of different varieties in the
(US) federal government, and so I say, for
the $1.7 trillion you’re trying to get
there’s probably five or $600 billion that
can come from that part of the budget.
There’s another $1.3 trillion that are
called tax expenditures, which are really
giving a different form of welfare to a
different group of people, more middle
class and upper middle class … so now
we’re starting to have a conversation
where the numbers get to be realistic.”
(interview with Samantha Guzman,
KERA News, Aug. 8/2016)
One key benefit of UBI is its
transparency and universality: there
would be no means test requiring
expensive welfare/bureaucratic
administrations - a huge budget saving.
It would eliminate poverty and promote
freedom of choice - freedom from
paternalistic employers and
governments.
This personal freedom created by
UBI may motivate people to start their
own enterprises based on social need
rather than artificial consumer products
and dangerous environmental schemes.

and other countries considering the idea
include Scotland, which plans to test the
scheme in Fife and Glasgow later this
year, as well as trials in several Dutch
cities. Recently, however, Switzerland
defeated a referendum on UBI.
Nevertheless, proponents of Universal
Basic Income argue it can be more
efficient, fairer and will better protect
people as the economy evolves. "A
universal basic income would provide a
much more secure income base in an age
of deepening economic and social
insecurity and unpredictable work
patterns," economists Howard Reed and
Stewart Lansley said in a report on basic
income published in May last year.
(Compass Publishing, 2016) "It would
offer much greater financial
independence and freedom of choice for
individuals between work and leisure,
education and caring while recognizing
the huge value of unpaid and voluntary
work.”
For people living in poverty now and in
the future, UBI would be a source of
respected income permitting financial
independence and the ability to live in
reasonable dignity regarding housing,
medical care, transportation, the arts,
access to consumer shopping, as well as
purchasing and preparing their own
food.
While in the short-term UBI can remedy
unemployment and poverty, in the
long-term it may have a more urgent and
universal appeal. The RTF Zine urges
the next government of British Columbia
to launch a Universal Basic Income pilot
project.

Overseas, Finland is beginning an UBI
experiment this year for 2000 people,
Spring 2017 | 19

The Community Food Hub Shift at the
Greater Vancouver Food Bank

I

By Zsuzsi Fodor, Community Partnership Manager

t has been 10 years since I took a trip
to Vancouver that – little did I know
at the time – would inspire my
passion for food justice and the right to
food.
In 2007 I spent a week with a group of
my peers volunteering at the Quest Food
Exchange’s old Hastings and Gore
storefront. It was an inaugural trip
coordinated by our school’s service
learning program which promised
student learning opportunities by
getting us out into the real world.
We were however, misled to believe we
would be learning about environmental
sustainability on this particular trip as
Quest sells low cost rescued food that
would otherwise end up in a landfill.
While this is true of Quest’s model, I
can’t say that the environmental benefits
are what stood out to me.
I instead felt appalled by the
rampant systemic poverty in
aneighbourhood where people have
been deprived of adequate incomes
that fulfill our shared right to
purchase the foods we need to
nourish our bodies, minds, and
spirit.
A decade later, I’m just down the road
from that storefront at an organization
with over 30 years of history reacting to
systemic poverty: the Greater Vancouver
Food Bank (GVFB).
I tell people I decided to work at a food

20 | RTFZine

bank because I fundamentally disagree
with their existence in the ways they’ve
historically operated. That’s usually a
spicy conversation starter.
This feeling is a new norm within the
GVFB as we grapple with what it means
to embody the right to food and move the
dial from food charity to food justice.
We’re not alone as food banks across
North America are joining a movement
of transformation a.k.a. an overdue
course correction and existential crisis.
We also thankfully have partners and
allies in Vancouver who have been
walking this talk long before food banks
were even doing the talking bit.
For us, the “walk” is starting to happen
in a few ways. I think one of the most
significant is a new commitment to
advocacy where we’ll be working with
our members to speak out about the
systemic reasons they use the food bank.
This to me gets at the heart of food
justice and acknowledges that no amount
of charity will ever address poverty.
I will vote for a future where all our
members have adequate incomes to make
their own food choices but may still visit
an organization like ours for a
community kitchen workshop or to pick
up low cost produce at one of our
markets (Some of the cool stuff we
already do!)
Until that day, I have the good fortune of
being part of the Community Food Hubs
team here at the GVFB. Our goal is to

improve the experience for members
visiting one of our 13 grocery pick up
spots in Vancouver, the North Shore,
Burnaby, and New Westminster.
The Community Food Hub model has a
number of commitments. The first is no
line-ups. By 2018 there won’t be a line
up to be seen at one of our food banks.
We’re starting to get there by extending
our hours and organizing members to
come at staggered times. The results
have been dramatic and food banks that
used to have 200+ person line-ups two
hours early now have maybe 20 people
gathering just before opening.
The next commitment is to choice: rather
than having a volunteer place members’
food in their bags as they work their way
down the line, a hub is set up like a store
equipped with grocery baskets and
tokens for a shopping experience. This
allows time for perusing, reading labels,
and feeling a few apples until finding that
right one. There’s also the option to shop
at an ultra-low cost market right inside
the hub for extra produce, much of which
is grown by local urban farmers.
The final commitment is to connection:
the hub is a space where members
connect to one another

over a cup of coffee or meal in the café
space; to connect to skill sharing during
chef demos; to other community
organizations that come to be a part of
the hub like the Vancouver Public
Library, Potluck Café Kitchen Tables
Project, and Raise the Rates to name a
few who’ve joined us in the last year; and,
to an overall sense of community and
belonging – another human right.
I see this connection happening at our
first two Community Food Hubs at the
Gordon and North Shore
Neighbourhood Houses who years ago
agreed to open their doors, literally and
figuratively, to try this new approach to
food banks with us. It’s no coincidence
that neighbourhood houses were our
early adopters as they’re already the
living rooms, kitchens, and dining rooms
of our neighbourhoods.
Over the next few years we’re going to
continue the shift to Community Food
Hubs as we also paddle upstream and
join the great poverty reduction and
advocacy work already happening. It’s an
honour to be invited as a voice within the
Right to Food Zine as we learn, change,
and challenge where our organization
has come from.

Spring 2017 | 21

The Strathcona
Breakfast Program
Thrives on
Multigenerational
Teamwork
by

Lauren Brown , SCC Food Security Coordinator

I

t’s Wednesday morning at the
Strathcona Breakfast Program.
The small galley kitchen and adjoining room have undergone their
daily transformation into a bustling
breakfast buffet and community meeting
space for students of the Strathcona Elementary School and their families.

Luong who has been volunteering with
the Breakfast program since 2002 when
her children were students in the school.
In addition, this dedicated, multigenerational team includes volunteers ranging
from grade 6 to retirement who commit to
helping out at least one day each week.

The room is full of students, siblings
and caregivers, as well as conversations,
friendships and laughter. A variety of languages ll the air and parents get to now
each other over a cup of tea and a bite to
eat. It’s a place that people come to get a
healthy meal before a busy day, but more
importantly, it’s a place to connect with
others feel signi cant and gain belonging

A very special part of the team are
the Breakfast Buddies, grade 6
and 7 students who help prepare
and serve breakfast to their peers
and neighbours while learning
team work, leadership and food
skills. These committed young
chefs bring a bright energy to the
operation each morning.

Today’s menu consists of hard-boiled
eggs, toast, fruit, veggies, yogurt, granola and milk. Behind the kitchen counter,
making it all happen is a dedicated team
led by Jane Newton-Moss who has coordinated the Breakfast Program since 1998.
Every morning, she is joined by Vuong My
22 | RTFZine

hey ll a variety of roles fro ensuring
that the serving dishes stay lled and helping younger children reach items on the
tall counters to diverting organics from the

Hey there, my name is Leena. I became
a Breakfast Buddy in the beginning
of 2016 in September! I got involved
because my brothers were both
volunteers. My favourite part of being
a Breakfast Buddy is learning new
things and helping the community. By
volunteering, I help my community by
chopping and making food or others to
eat. When I get older, I would like to be
a teacher.
My little sister, Lisa, wants to be a
Breakfast Buddy when she gets older.
She loves dancing, drawing and cooking!

land ll and giving their honest feedbac
on new menu items. They also participate
and learn outside of breakfast time, either
by cooking brunch to welcome food industry entors or by going on eld trips
to visit commercial kitchens and other interesting food-related establishments.

Food insecurity doesn't just
happen. It is a symptom of
Beyond the Breakfast Program, the broader inequality that needs to
Strathcona Community Centre is home be addressed on multiple levels.
to a Backpack Program, community
kitchens, workshops, a canning club and
farm and farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; market trips. Many of
these programs originated because of
insuf cient access to affordable healthy
and culturally appropriate food for residents in the neighbourhood; resulting
hunger makes recreation, school and social
opportunities inaccessible.

Since their beginnings, the Strathcona
Community Centreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food programs have
evolved beyond just food access to also creating space for social inclusion, community
building and s ill sharing bene ting any
people in our community. However, the
underlying presence of household food

The members of the Strathcona Community Centre are stepping up to make
connections and support each other
through both tough and celebratory times.
However, the poverty that causes food
insecurity requires systemic change. We
hope that all levels of government take a
proactive approach to i proving nancial
security for families and individuals in BC
and beyond.

Spring 2017 | 23

Seedsof

CHANGE
pring is just around the
corner and while many are
concentrating on the upcoming
election, my focus is on
spreading some seed. This
year has been an extremely long and cold
winter. Lucky for us the freeze acts as
natural pesticide for many of those pesky
critters who enjoy sharing our harvest.
Other good news for those of you who
don’t know much about plants; it’s not too
late to get growing.
Many people are busy just trying to scrape
by, and may wonder why should we take
the time to grow food anyways? Organic
food is healthier, tastes better, costs
less and contributes to building a truly
sustainable society.
If we grow only heirloom non-GMO
varieties and save seeds, we can resist the
corporate control of our food supply by
companies like Monsanto. By growing
plants and flowers that attract pollinators
we are working to protect local biodiversity
and to ensure the viability of local food
systems. Hives for Humanity has also
demonstrated that anyone can keep bees
just about anywhere; all you need is tender
loving care. http://hivesforhumanity.
com/
24 | RTFZine

With home grown organic fruits and
vegetables you really can taste the
love. Having a relationship with plants,
pollinators and the earth is rewarding
beyond the harvest. Time spent
gardening is very relaxing and good
exercise as well. Some studies have
even shown the bacteria found in soil
contribute to serotonin production, so
getting your hands dirty can even help
reduce depression.

“

If we grow only heirloom nonGMO varieties and save seeds,
we can resist the corporate
control of our food supply by
companies like Monsanto.

“

S

By Shannon Hecker

Locally, there are many resources for
people to access free seeds to grow
their own food. Village Vancouver’s
program does seed saving, packaging and
distributing non-GMO heirloom seeds
around the city through the seed library
program at several VPL locations.
http://www.villagevancouver.ca/group/
vvfoodgroupseedsavers
For those of you getting a late start,
The Free Market at Grandview Park
encourages gardeners to share not
only seeds, but also seedlings and

adult plants during spring and summer
months. Give away what you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need
and nd what you ve been loo ing for
Every other Sunday from 12:00PM to
4:00PM. https://www.facebook.com/
VancouverFreeMarket/

Cottonwood garden is partially in a City of
Vancouver Engineering Right of Way that
was taken over as a garden as a deliberate
act of protest when the City was looking at
building a highway into downtown back in
the '70s.

It is easy to continue growing food well into
the winter months. Kale, beets, carrots,
leeks, garlic, onions, sorrel, spinach,
brussel sprouts, winter cabbage, swiss
chard and many other kinds of vegetables
can be planted towards the end of August
and will grow until the ground freezes and
thaws out in the spring still good to harvest.
Try using a cold frame to make your fall
crops last even longer. With heated
greenhouses, people can effectively grow
their own food all winter long.

Following is some material from the City's
False Creek Flats planning process that this
has been operating under. The Park Board
is now reviewing the impacts and potential
mitigation of putting a road through the
park, so any letters of support to them and
the City about the William St. option will
help http vancouver ca les cov false
cree flats prior venables replace ent
open-house-information-displays.pdf

Although not everyone is fortunate enough
to have access to a yard to grow, balconies,
window sills, pots, and vertical gardens
work well to grow a variety of food. Sharing
space in community gardens can reduce
the social isolation faced by many people
living on a limited income. Taking turns
watering each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gardens saves time
and builds relationships. Harvested food
can create income opportunities through
barter and trade. Gifting food is a great way
to strengthen ties in the community.
During the beginning of March, a few of
us Zinesters took a walk around the DTES
and trathcona area to nd out what spaces
are available for locals to grow. Together
we collaborated to create the attached map.
It made my heart heavy to learn that the
Cottonwood Community Garden is being
threatened for removal to make way for the
proposed Malkin Connector, which would
redirect traf c fro rior enables

Sharing space in community
gardens can reduce the social
isolation faced by many people
living on a limited income.
For more information visit facebook.com/
SaveCottonwoodCommunityGarden/
If you interested in acquiring garden
space at the Cottonwood Garden
located at Strathcona Park, please email
joiningcottonwood@gmail.com.
It is understandable that some may not have
the time or ability to grow for themselves
and in that case nding a far ers ar et
nearby is the next best option. Supporting
local food growers and localized distribution
decreases our dependency on fossil fuels for
transportation, storage and refrigeration of
goods. The farmers market also provides
community space where people can share
their skills and products while empowering
each other and strengthening the local
economy. eatlocal.org/
Spring 2017 | 25

With the cost of living and rent steadily
rising, growing our own food is cost
effective. The long term effects of
genetically engineered foods on the
human body are still unknown and
chemical pesticides such as glyphosate
being used have been proven to be
linked to birth defects and other life
threatening illnesses. With such
growing concerns, knowing where your
food comes from and how it is grown
is essential. Having access to locally
grown fresh organic vegetables and
fruits not only contributes to healthier,
happier people, but the overall impact
created by small scale food systems has
enormous potential in reducing our
carbon footprint on the earth.

1
3
2

Supporting local food growers and
localized distribution decreases
our dependency on fossil fuels
for transportation, storage and
refrigeration of goods.

Here is a variation on the recipe we use for ba ed cauliflower at the NH ost people
thin cauliflower is boring and needs to be paired with a white sauce or a cheese sauce
to a e it interesting his recipe involves ba ing the cauliflower to a golden brown
with minimal spicing to let the natural yumminess of the vegetable speak for itself.

Ingredients:

ne cauliflower
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cumin (optional)

Directions:

eparate cauliflower head into bite si ed florets
oss florets with olive oil osher salt fresh ground
pepper, cumin (optional) until they are completely
covered in oil--this ensures an even browning of the
cauliflower
3. Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
N f you really ust have cheese with your cauliflower
top with grated cheese (Parmesan is really nice but
cheddar serves well) or nutritional yeast (vegan option).

Jane’s Breakfast Fruit Crisp
From the Strathcona Community Centre Cookbook

We gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance
of the Province of British Columbia

Godfrey Tang
writer

Hendrik Beune
writer

Shannon Hecker
writer

writer

Publisher & editor
tan haffer
Assistant Editor, IT Consultant, & Online Editor
ichael Du el o
rinted and bound in ancouver at tudio rint roup
Print consultant
ita ander aadt
Layout & design
itsue uno nthony oert and riyan a or ar
llustrations
nthony oert
itsue ierfederici
Consulting editor Natalie Hawrysh ewich
Photograph on page 2 d gillis
Contributing writers
ichael Du el o hannon Hec er tan haffer d
gillis nthony oert
odfrey ang eilani eu
ahil upta su si odor and auren rown
nterested in contributing ideas articles poe s illustrations and or photos to the ight to ood ine s a co unity
partner we are deeply interested to hear fro you and what you feel is i portant ine eetings are on ednesdays fro
to p free nutritious lunch included) at the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House
East Hastings street)
r get in touch with us at ine rtf ine org he ight to ood ine relies on generous donations fro the co unity to
produce each issue so if you li e what we re doing and you re able please visit visit rtf ine org to donate or get involed
he views and opinions e pressed in this publication are those of the original authors and contributors
and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House)

Strathcona Community Small Grant

Leilani Reum

Right
to

To promote the human right
to food that is healthy, nutritious,
affordable, and presented with dignity. Our
voices reflect the diversity that is the Downtown
Eastside. Our articles, research, and recipes speak to
the DTES residents, social justice groups, and beyond. We
inform our readers, while fostering the desire to know more
and to become more engaged. As part of the DTES community,
we strive to be a tool for community building.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,
and beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its
purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for
the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign
of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a
lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you
arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and
robs the spirit of its vision.â&#x20AC;?

Z i n e

Spring 2017

N
O
I
CT AL
E
EL ECI
SP

.
B.C

How to Vote..........................page 3

the caNdidates.....................page 4

www.rtfzine.org

Seeds of changE.................page 24

UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME.....page 17

simple, yummy recipes........page 28

(FreE)

~Tecumseh (1768-1813) was a Native American leader of the Shawnee
nation who fought many battles against American forces to protect his
people and their land.